


Ashes

by ByFireandBlood



Category: Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Badass Ladies, Badass Rey, Blood and Gore, Blood and Injury, Canon-Typical Violence, Chewbacca - Freeform, Death, Droids, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Enemies to Lovers, Eventual Smut, F/M, Facing abusers, Force Ghost Luke Skywalker, Force Healing, Force Sensitivity, Han Solo - Freeform, Hurt/Comfort, Injured Armitage Hux, Nexu (Star Wars), Past Abuse, Past Child Abuse, Past Rape/Non-con, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Psychological Trauma, Resistance Fighters, Revenge, Sassy, Sick Character, Sickfic, Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker Spoilers, Swearing, dangerous pets, hux survives, tragic past
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-12-22
Updated: 2021-02-17
Packaged: 2021-02-26 00:14:14
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 12
Words: 14,925
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21904300
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ByFireandBlood/pseuds/ByFireandBlood
Summary: Armitage Hux did something he'd never dreamed of doing. He'd betrayed the First Order.Myrcerys has been in the Resistance for three years, and now, she has to fight harder than ever for what she believes in.
Relationships: Armitage Hux/Original Female Character(s), Poe Dameron/Finn, Rey/Ben Solo | Kylo Ren
Comments: 30
Kudos: 68





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I'm devastated by how they discarded my boi, Hux, and so, here's my fic.  
> Please let me know what you think! I'm still new to fanfics, this is my second one in fact. So any feedback is welcome!

Myrcerys jogged beside Poe and Finn, firing her blaster behind her at the pursuing Stormtroopers.

"Mercy, duck!" Finn shouted, as Chewbacca raised his bowcaster. She quickly stood as she heard Poe shout in pain.

"Poe!" She shouted, rushing to her friend.

"Are you alright?" Finn asked.

Poe looked up, and Mercy followed his gaze, heart sinking as a dozen stormtroopers approached.

"No." Poe said. Mercy sighed.

At least she'd fought for something she believed in, but damn it, she didn't want to die. Not on a First Order Star Destroyer. Not executed like a rabid animal.

She wanted to at least say goodbye to her friends, to Thorn, her pet nexu. But it seemed that she would never get that chance now.

She struggled as the Stormtrooper dragged her down the hall, not because she thought she could escape, but because she would not die meekly. She'd spent too long afraid, too long submissively accepting her fate.

Not this time.

And so the stormtrooper dragged her, kicking and screaming, before Allegiant General Pryde, and General Hux.

Pryde looked her over like she was some minor inconvenience. Mercy knew before he gave the order that she was going to be killed.

All of her fear dissolved suddenly as she lashed out, trying to strike the smug bastard and knock the sneer off of his lips.

The stormtrooper yanked her back, but she still managed to land a glancing blow off the Allegiant General's chin.

Poe and Finn were staring at her like she'd sprouted wings.

Pryde rubbed at his chin, glaring at her. He looked to the trooper holding her. "Kill her last. Let her watch her friends die first."

Mercy glared as the trooper wrenched her around. "We'll finish this in Hell." She spat at Pryde.

General Hux followed the troopers taking them down to execution.

Chewie growled slightly, and Mercy smiled at the compliment. _'Nice shot'_ he'd said.

Finn, Poe, and Chewie were lined up in front of her, and the trooper holding her forced her to her knees.

Mercy fought back her tears. She would not cry. She would not give them the satisfaction of seeing her tears.

"Actually, I'd like to do this myself." Hux said, stepping around the stormtroopers.

One obligingly surrendered his blaster.

Mercy closed her eyes, flinching ever so slightly at the shots. The grip on her arm went slack, and she opened her eyes, confused.

Hux pulled her to her feet.

"I'm the spy." He said, looking at Poe.

"What? You?" Finn gasped.

"I knew it!" Poe cried.

Mercy scoffed. "No, you did not."

The four of them sprinted after the General.

"We've only got seconds." He said, opening the hanger door to where the Falcon was impounded.

Poe, Finn and Chewie ran through the door, closely followed by C3PO, BB-8 and D-O.

Mercy was about to follow when Hux called out to her.

"Wait." He said. "Blast me, in the arm, or else they'll know."

Mercy raised the weapon, but before she could pull the trigger, a bolt shot past her, striking Hux in the chest and flinging him off his feet.

Mercy instinctively dropped to one knee, returning fire with a cry of defiance.

Behind her, Hux moaned faintly.

"Poe!" Mercy screamed.

She heard his muffled reply.

"Mercy!" Poe cried, appearing behind her. "Come on!"

"Grab him!" She shouted, jerking her head towards Hux. "I'll cover you."

Poe obliged, grabbing the injured General under the arms, and dragging him to the Falcon.

Mercy continued to fire until she was in the hangar bay.

As she ran to the ramp, Finn grabbed her and hauled her inside.

Mercy lay on her side, panting, and feeling her heart hammer against her rib-cage.

They'd made it out alive.

She crawled to her feet, and looked up at the crumpled figure lying on one of the bunks. Hux was still breathing, but just barely.

"I'll stay here." Mercy said softly, and grabbed a blanket. She drew her knife and cut away his uniform, exposing the deep wound on his chest. She pressed the blanket down on it, trying to stop the bleeding.

Hux made a strangled noise, and struggled weakly.

"Just lie still. I'm trying to help." She said, keeping her voice calm.

She remembered how scared she'd been when she was the injured one. When Poe had found her, three years prior, she'd been lying in the rain, coughing up blood from a punctured lung, the result of a knife being lodged between her ribs. She'd been seventeen years old.

She'd never been more afraid then she was then. Not even when Oryll had stabbed her. Frankly, he'd done worse to her than that.

 _Not the time, Myrcerys._ She told herself. _You can sulk about your past later, but for now, focus on the task at hand._

She was really not that good at giving comfort. She tried to remember what Poe had done.

He'd talked to her, promised her he was just trying to help, stroked her hair and wiped the blood from her chin with his thumb. 

They'd been inseparable friends ever since.

Hux squirmed and mumbled something.

Mercy tried to think of something comforting to say, but couldn't.

"Shh, shh, shh." She tried, tentatively, as if talking to a wounded animal. "It's alright."

She kept her voice low and calm, hoping the tone would back up her words.

"How's the bleeding?" Rey asked from behind her.

Mercy turned to look at her friend.

"He's still breathing, so better, I guess." Mercy said. "Oh kriff, I don't know, I'm not a Doctor."

"I can see that." Rey said.

"Don't tease me."

"I'm not. Not yet anyway." Rey said, and walked out before Mercy could think of a retort.

She sighed as she peeled the blanket away, peering at the wound. It was still oozing blood, but not gushing as it had been before. She reapplied the pressure, and prayed to the Force that he could hang on until they reached the base.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, here's chapter 2.
> 
> Let me know what you think!

[ ](https://www.flickr.com/photos/183353521@N05/49302002126/in/dateposted-friend/)

Mercy was still sitting beside Hux, golden eyes far away.

Poe knew that she was remembering her own injury. The stab wound had nearly killed her, and she probably understood how Hux was feeling better than anyone.

Her bright gold eyes fixed on him, and Poe smiled slightly.  
“Hey Mercy.”

“Poe.” She replied, soft voice oddly quiet.

Barely twenty years old, and already suffering from enough trauma for ten lifetimes, Mercy was one of the strongest people Poe knew.

The little cone-faced droid was anxiously rolling around her feet.

“B-blood.” The little droid stuttered. Mercy looked down at him.

“Hush now, it’s alright.” She said soothingly, smiling at the droid.

Poe smiled at her. All the abuse and cruelty she suffered, and she was still kind.

 _How fitting,_ he thought, _that her name is Mercy._

She looked up at Poe.

“Rey thinks that someone treated him badly.”

“She mentioned that to me as well.”

Mercy gave the little droid a sympathetic look.

Poe nodded towards Hux.

“How is he?”

“Not good. Still alive, but that’s about it.”

Poe nodded.

A lock of brown hair fell in front of Mercy’s eyes, and she sighed.

“Would you mind?” She asked Poe, nodding to her bloody hands.

Poe smiled, and brushed the hair back, tucking it behind her ear.

“Thanks.” Mercy said.

Beside her, Hux stirred slightly.

Mercy quickly turned her attention back to him.

The General opened glazed blue eyes, breathing ragged and suddenly rapid.

“Easy. It’s okay.” She said, voice gentle.

“...Where…?” Hux croaked out, voice weak and hoarse.

“You’re on the Millenium Falcon.” Mercy said calmly. “You’ve taken a blaster bolt to the chest.” Hux did not reply. 

Mercy glanced at Poe. 

“We’re not going back to base, are we?”

Poe shook his head. “We’re going to Kef Bir.”

Mercy nodded, and glanced at Hux.

“I’m going to try what Rey did with the Vexis Snake.” She said, almost uncertainly.

Poe tilted his head.

“It’s his only chance.”

Poe nodded, she was right.

She hesitated. “What if I… can’t?” She said nervously.

“I-I believe in you.” Cone-face told her. Mercy smiled at the little droid.

“Thank you, D-O, that means the Galaxy to me.” The droid hummed slightly. Poe smiled, leave it to Mercy to have found the time to ask the droid his name.

Mercy turned to Hux, and pressed her hand down on his chest. Hux startled, and tried to pull away. 

Mercy gently grabbed his wrist in her other hand.

“Shh. It’s okay. I’m trying to help you.” Poe stepped closer as Mercy closed her eyes.

Her hand trembled, and her breathing quickened.

The wound on Hux’s chest began to close.

Mercy blanched suddenly, and she gasped, dropping her hand away.

Poe grabbed his friend, supporting her.

“Mercy? Mercy!”

“I’m okay.” She said. Shaking her head, some of the pallor in her skin faded, and her breathing steadied.

She glanced at Hux, and Poe followed her gaze.

The wound had closed, leaving only a faint scar in its place.

Hux sat up.

“How did you do that?” He asked her. 

“I transferred a bit of Force energy, from me, into you.” Mercy said, as if she were telling him it was cold outside.

Hux looked as if she’d just told him she could turn into an acklay.

Hux looked at the Resistance fighters, still processing what the girl had told him.

“Uh, I guess you know who we are.” The girl said, smiling slightly. 

“I’m all too familiar with Dameron.” Hux said coolly, prompting a smirk from the pilot. “You, however, I’m afraid, I don’t recognize.”

“Oh. How devastating.” The girl said. “I’m Myrcerys Stormdream.” 

“Ah. Yes, your name is familiar.”

Dameron snickered.

“I guess you’re one of us now.” Myrcerys said. She extended a hand. “You can call me Mercy, if you want.”

So different. So _informal._

Hux took the outstretched hand, giving it an awkward shake.

“Mercy.” He said. It felt strange to say. No “Captain” or “Commander”, or “Lieutenant”. Just a nickname.

She gestured to a small droid by her feet. “This is D-O.”

“H-h-hello.” The droid stammered.

Mercy smiled. “He’s kind’ve shy.” She looked up at him with stunning golden eyes.

“So. Why did you decide to help us? You hate us.” Dameron asked.

Hux frowned at her. “I don’t care if you win. I need Kylo Ren to lose.”

Mercy began to laugh.

“And I thought _I_ was petty.” She said, still giggling. “You betrayed the First Order, _just_ to fuck Kylo Ren over?”

“Colorful way of putting it, but yes.”

She eyed him.

“Very well, General Hux. You’ll just have to learn to live with us now.”

“I suppose so.” Hux said, though he dreaded being stuck in close quarters with Dameron.

“I’m going to see our pilots.” Dameron said, and left The General alone with Mercy.

“Why did you bother to save me?” Hux asked her. “You could have just left.”

“Yeah well. Two reasons, one, It’s not the kind of thing I’d do. I don’t abandon people to their fates, especially not when I owe them something. Two, I’ve been left to die. It’s not something I’d wish on anyone.” Mercy said quietly.

Hux did not ask what happened. He did not care. She was just another Resistance fighter, just because he’d allied with them, didn’t mean he cared about her.

But, she had saved his life, perhaps he should try not to make her regret that, he’d seen the fire inside of her, when she’d struck Pryde. And right now, she had a blaster, and he did not.

“What happened?”

Mercy shrugged. “You don’t have to play nice with me, you know.” She said after a moment. “You don’t have to pretend to care.”

“What?” Hux asked, taken aback.

“I can sense it. With the Force.” She replied. “But you don’t need to worry. _We_ don’t kill our allies, or our prisoners. No matter what we think of them personally.” She told him, before she stood up and left.

Mercy sat on the floor, out of everyone’s sight. _Why had she gotten so angry?_ Because he didn’t really care, or because she felt he _should_?

She quickly turned away from that line of thought. It brought nothing but misery for her.

Her family should have cared. But they didn’t.

Why should an enemy General care about her past, even if she’d saved his life?

It was a question she could not answer.

“A-are you a-a-alright?” D-O asked, rolling up beside her.

Mercy sighed.

“Yeah, I’m fine. Thanks, little fella.”

“You’re w-welcome.”

Mercy looked at him.

“Come on, my little friend. We have things to do.”


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The team arrive to find the Wayfinder, but are confronted by Kylo Ren.  
> Hux, meanwhile, proves to be less terrible than the team had thought.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I would really love feedback on this, so feel free to let me know what you think!
> 
> Also, My friend asked how to pronounce Mercy's full name, so just to clarify, "Myrcerys" Is pronounced Mer-SEER-iss

Mercy held the weapon carefully. It was finished, after all the time she’d spent on it, it was finished.

She took a deep breath, and ignited her lightsaber.

The blade was white as starlight, and Mercy smiled at her weapon. 

“What do you think?” She asked D-O.

“I-I like it.” The droid told her.

“Mercy?”

She whipped around to face a curious Finn.

“You finally finished it.”

“Yeah.” Mercy replied, the hint of a smile returning to her lips.

“It suits you.” Finn told her.

“I think so to.” She agreed, deactivating the blade.

“Finn! Mercy!” Poe’s voice shouted. “Need you in here.”

Mercy and Finn exchanged a look, before they both jogged to the cockpit.

“Poe, what’s wrong?” Mercy asked, coming up behind him.

“Landing gear’s busted.”

Mercy frowned. “How busted?”

“Completely.”

“Shit.”

“My sentiments exactly.”

“So, we’re gonna crash land?”

“Yup.”

It was exactly as Poe had said it was going to be. Rey sighed, and rolled over onto her stomach, standing up.

“Okay, who’s not dead?” Mercy called from her spot on the floor. 

The array of answering groans answered the question well enough.

“Kriff.” Hux growled, sitting up with a wince.

“I think the more appropriate word is ‘Fuck.” Mercy said, getting to her feet.

“Mercy, watch the language.” Poe said jokingly.

“Don’t fucking tell me what to do. You’re not my mother.” Mercy shot back, but her voice was playful.

“D-O, BB-8, 3PO?” Mercy called. “You guys okay?”

D-O rolled up to her. “I’m okay.”

BB-8 gave a series of beeps, while 3PO griped about the insanity of it all.

Kef Bir had a pleasant atmosphere, and Rey smiled at the breeze on her face.

“Um. How do we find the wayfinder on  _ that? _ ” Poe asked, gesturing to the fallen Death Star.

“It could take years.” Finn agreed.

Rey frowned as she pulled out the dagger.

“Only this plane will tell.” She murmured.

Mercy peered over Rey’s shoulder as the dagger lined up with the exact location of the wayfinder.

She did not like the dagger. When ever she got close to it, she sensed the pain and misery it had caused.

An involuntary shudder ran through her.

Behind her, she heard hoofbeats.

She whirled around, hand on her lightsaber, as a woman a little older than her approached.

“Rough landing.” She called.

“I’ve seen worse.” Poe replied.

“Though not much.” Mercy muttered.

“I’ve seen better.” The woman called. She eyed Hux with blatant distaste.

Mercy ignited her saber, and stood between the woman and Hux.

“Are you Resistance?” The woman asked.

“It depends on who’s asking.” Mercy said coolly.

The woman smiled slightly.

“A message from Babu Frick. He says you’re the only hope.” The woman said, jerking her head at Rey.

She turned back to Mercy. “You don’t need the saber.”

“I’ll be the judge of that.” Mercy replied, but deactivated the blade all the same.

“I’m Jannah.” The woman said.

“Myrcerys. Mercy, for short.”

Jannah nodded in greeting.

“We need to get out to the Death Star.” Rey called.

“We can take the water.” Jannah replied.

“Have you seen the water?” Finn asked.

“Not now. Too dangerous. First light tomorrow.”

“We don’t have the time.” Rey protested.

“Or the choice.” Poe sighed. “Do you have spare parts?” He called to Jannah.

“Some.” She replied.

Rey remained where she was as Poe and Finn followed Jannah.

“I know what you’re thinking.” Mercy told her.

“And?” Rey asked, defensively now.

“I’m in.” Mercy said, grinning at the other girl.

“No. It’s too dangerous.”

“What is it with you and Poe? Like I said, you’re not my mother.” Mercy said, exasperated.

Rey uttered a soft laugh, the first one in ages.

“No. Fair enough.” Rey said.

Poe was helping Chewie with the wiring of the Falcon as Hux came jogging in.

“Those two are crazy!” He said, catching his breath.

“Which two?” Poe asked.

“The Scavenger, Rey, and Myrcerys. They took the skimmer out to the Death Star.”

“They  _ what? _ ” Poe demanded, shocked now, he pushed past Hux.

Behind him, Hux heaved a long suffering sigh.

“I don’t pay attention for one minute, and this is what happens.”

“Easy Hugs, you’re not in charge here.”

Hux scowled, and turned away.

“There’s another skimmer.” Jannah said, and Poe glanced at Finn.

“You go after them. I’ll finish the repairs.”

Finn shrugged.

“Since you know what Rey’s going through so much better than me.” Poe muttered.

Finn scoffed, and stormed out.

Growling in frustration, Poe went back to fixing the wires.

The Death Star was so quiet that it raised the hairs on Mercy’s neck. Every sound was amplified.

Wordlessly, she followed Rey.

Climbing to the upper levels had left Mercy with several new scrapes on her arms and hands, and Mercy had cussed more than once over it.

Rey, on the other hand, had not said a word the entire time.

“You’re not yourself Rey. What’s wrong?” Mercy asked.

“I don’t want to talk about it.”

“Come on. It’s me.” Mercy pressed.

“Mercy. You’d hate me if I told you.”

“Is this about your family?”

“What makes you say that?”

“You’ve been on edge, ever since you saw Ochi’s ship.”

“Mercy. I really don’t want to talk about it.”

“Alright.” Mercy said, not wanting to push Rey.

They entered what had once been the Throne room. Mercy shuddered.

Terrible things had happened here.

Rey let out a tense breath.

Mercy startled as a rusted blast door opened, creaking and groaning.

She followed Rey inside, trying to hide her unease as the door slammed shut behind them.

She felt oddly as if she were being watched.

Rey stopped suddenly, and Mercy nearly walked into her.

“There it is” Rey breathed.

Mercy eyed the Wayfinder. 

Rey reached for it.

“Ah, Myrcerys.” Said a voice so horribly familiar it sent a wave of panic over her.

Mercy whipped around, finding herself face to face with Oryll.

He grinned, and she stepped back, trembling all over.

“I’ve missed you.” He said in his oily voice.

Fear twisted in her belly, so strongly is sent a wave of nausea over her. 

She swallowed back bile.

“St-stay back.” She said, voice more a whimper of terror than a command.

“You still stutter. How charming.” Oryll grinned.

_ Breathe _ . She told herself.  _ Just breathe. You have the upper hand this time. _

She ignited her lightsaber. “I said, stay back.”

“Or you’ll what?”   
“I’ll give you what you deserve.” She snarled.

“Look at you, still a scared little girl.” He laughed, drawing a blade that sent another wave of terror over her.

She remembered all too well what it had felt like, lodged into her chest.

She lashed out with the saber.

He vanished, and she stumbled back into the throne room with a startled cry.

Her heart hammered against her ribs, and she had bitten her lip so hard it was bleeding.

Tears slipped down her cheeks.

She felt as if she were thirteen again, this was the same terror she had felt the night that he’d first raped her.

_ Oh, Maker.  _ She let out a choked sob, and got to her feet.

She turned in time to see Rey back out of the room so quickly she fell.

The Wayfinder tumbled out of her hand, and Mercy turned, trying to grab it.

A gloved hand grabbed it roughly.

Mercy looked up at Kylo Ren.

Rey stood up.

“Give it to me.” She snarled.

“You came here because you wanted to prove to your mother that you were a Jedi. But you’ve proven something else.” Ren mused.

“You can’t go back to her now. Just like I can’t.”

“Give it to me.” Rey hissed at him. Mercy stood beside Rey, inhaling deeply.

Kylo Ren did not scare her. She looked at him with her burning eyes. No trace of fear present in her glare.

“And you.” Ren turned to look at her, his eyes were full of something that, had she not known better, she would have thought was pity.

“No one with so much anger in her heart can be a Jedi.” Ren told her. Mercy scowled, gripping her saber hilt.

“I am not a Jedi.” Mercy said coolly. “I’m a grey.”

Ren seemed taken aback by this answer.

“Give me the Wayfinder.” Rey interrupted, igniting her lightsaber, and stepping between Mercy and Ren.

She felt Mercy’s eyes on her back, heard the saber ignite. Her friend was going to fight with her.

“The only way you’re going to Exegol…” Ren said calmly. “Is with me.”

Rey heard herself cry out in despair as Ren crushed the device, the broken pieces tumbling to the floor.

She lashed out at Ren, who barely jumped back in time to dodge the blade. Mercy stepped in, white saber glowing as she slashed at an off balance Ren.

Rey struck out again, and Ren countered her blow with his own saber.

Mercy followed stepped around Ren, lashing out with the saber, nearly slipping off the slick metal and into the raging waves below.

Ren pushed her back, and lunged at Rey. Mercy jumped at him, but this time he was ready for her. 

The invisible Force slammed into her chest, flinging her violently backwards.

Her back collided with something hard, driving the breath out of her.

She dropped to the cold, wet metal below her, uttering a silent cry of pain at the impact to her ribs.

She tasted blood, and blacked out.

Rey saw Mercy crumple to the ground, unmoving. 

She wasn’t dead, and Rey felt a tear of relief slip down her cheek as she countered Ren’s strike.

The sea spray fell in a torrent around them, and Rey feinted back. 

Her goal now was to keep Ren away from Mercy.

“Rey!” Someone shouted.

She looked over her shoulder at Finn, who was running towards her.

“No!” She screamed. She couldn’t let anyone else get hurt on her account.

She shoved him away with the Force, trying to protect him from Ren.

The cold spray on her face roused her slightly. Mercy opened her eyes, blinking to clear her vision.

Her back was aching horribly, but thankfully, she hadn’t hit her head.

She staggered to her feet, pain lanced through her, so violent and hot that she threw up.

Maker, the last time she’d thrown up from being in so much pain had been… No. She couldn’t think about that now.

She spat, wiping her mouth, and crawled to her feet.

In the whole ordeal, she had kept a grip on her lightsaber. 

She took a step forward, swaying slightly. 

Ahead of her, she saw Rey fall to the ground, Ren standing over her.

“Rey!” Mercy yelped. Ren suddenly looked up, dropping his saber.

Rey caught it, impaling Ren through the chest with a savage cry.

Rey felt it when Leia died, and, based on the wail she heard from behind the misting wave, Mercy had felt it too.

Leia had been like a mother to Rey for the past year, and even longer for Mercy.

Rey felt a tear slip down her cheek. 

She deactivated Ren’s saber, watching as he collapsed to the ground.

He was breathing shallowly, face white as paper. 

Rey slowly crouched beside him, still in tears.

She gently rested her hand on his chest, willing the Force through her and into him.

Ren took an easier breath.

Rey met his eyes.

“I did want to take your hand.” She said softly. “Ben’s hand.”

With that, she got up, running towards his TIE fighter.

Mercy hugged her battered torso loosely, weeping softly.

“Mercy?” Finn’s voice shouted. “Mercy, what’s wrong?”

“Leia.” She sobbed. “She’s dead.” Just saying the words was like a knife in her heart.

“What?” Finn gasped. “Dead.”

Mercy nodded miserably.

She looked up as the Falcon landed beside them.

Poe was jumping out as soon as the door opened.

“Mercy! What happened?”

Crying she told him. Disbelief crossed his face, then grief.

“Are you hurt?” He asked her finally, perhaps to distract himself.

“I hit my back pretty hard.”

Poe nodded. “Okay, let’s get you inside.”

He pulled her arm around his shoulder, she winced, but remained silent.

No one said a word until they were inside.

“Rey took off in Ren’s TIE fighter.” Finn said softly. “We need to head back to base.”

“We are. Okay.” He said, voice more a growl than anything.

“Boys.” Mercy said tiredly. “Save the bitching for later.”

Had she not been so tired from the fight, she would have laughed at the look they gave her.

As it was, she just wanted to crawl into bed and cry. And maybe puke some more while she was at it.

“Poe. Finn. Get to the cockpit. Tell Chewie the what happened… I’ll be alright. I’m just going to lie down.” She said, voice calm and smooth, a sharp contrast to her grief and pain and… fear.

She was still badly shaken from her vision with Oryll.

Poe seemed reluctant to leave her, but Mercy met his gaze.

“I’m. Fine.”

Poe held up his hands in surrender.

Mercy waited until they had left the hall before she slumped against the wall and slid to the floor.

She caught her breath for a moment, before getting to her feet, wincing.

Mercy leaned against the wall for support.

She was almost to the bunk when she tripped over a wrench. In her attempt to keep her footing, she over extended her back.

Pain shot through her, and she pitched forward with a gasp.

Arms hooked under hers, checking her fall before she hurt herself any further.

For a moment, she thought it was Poe.

A quick glance proved that it was very much not Poe.

General Hux was looking down at her, his expression impassive.

“What happened?” He asked her.

“I, um, I hit my back.”

“You fell?”

“No. I was thrown.” She muttered, breath coming in short gasps. 

“Ren?”

She nodded slightly.

Hux held her arm as she walked to the bunk, sitting down slowly, trying not to jolt her back anymore.

“You’re having difficulty breathing.”

“No, I just- It hurts.” Mercy said, voice stiff.

The Resistance fighter’s golden eyes were clouded with pain. Her breathing was shallow and strained.

She’d obviously been hurt worse than she was admitting.

Without a word, Hux pressed his hand against her back.

She flinched, hissing in pain.

“Breathe in.” He commanded.

She did not argue.

Her lungs weren’t damaged, but several ribs were broken.

Hux sighed. Of course, one of the Force Users, the best chance of defeating Kylo Ren, had been injured.

“Do you have bacta here?” He asked her, voice stiff and controlled. The voice of a General.

The girl only nodded.

“Yeah. It’s over in that first aid box.” She said, jerking her head slightly.

Hux looked at her. “You’re going to have to remove your top.”

She stiffened slightly, but then nodded, relaxing and removing the top.

When Hux returned with the jar of Bacta, he tried hard to ignore the soft swell of her breasts, covered only by a bra band.

He uttered a long suffering sigh, and began rubbing the gel against her back.

Her pale skin was marked with scars that criss-crossed her lower back. 

Whip scars.

Hux caught himself before he asked her about them.

It didn’t matter where they came from. They were clearly long healed.

“Hey, Mercy I-” Hux whipped around as the traitor, FN-2187, entered the room, his expression one of shock.

“...Am I interrupting something?”


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mercy and Hux have a rather... interesting discussion.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Any feedback is welcome!

“...Am I interrupting something?” Finn asked, and immediately regretted it. He’d been taken by surprise at the sight of his friend sitting there with her shirt off while General Hux rubbed her back.

It took a moment for the presence of the bacta jar in Hux’s hand to register with Finn.

“That, is  _ not _ what I meant.” He said, face burning with embarrassment. 

Mercy looked amused, but Hux looked furious.

“I’m, um, I’m going to go now.” Finn said, and hurried away, wishing he could disappear completely.

The girl twisted to look at him.

“Hold still.” Hux growled at her. She huffed in annoyance, but stilled anyway. He wasn’t annoyed with her, he just didn’t know how to be reassuring, and he had a reputation to maintain.

Besides, any attempt to comfort her would only make him look foolish as well as soft.

No, better to act annoyed.

“Are you-” The girl winced. “...Always this short tempered?”

“Are you used to being coddled?” The General sneered.

“No. Did you somehow miss the scars?” She retorted.

“Of course not, they’re-”

“Ugly. I know.” 

“I was going to say noticeable.” Hux said dismissively.

They sat in silence for a moment.

“Why are you doing this?” The girl asked. “You already got your way, screwing over Kylo Ren. Why continue to help?” She asked him.

“You’re a Force User, one of the two best chances at defeating Kylo Ren.”

“So, because I’m a weapon to you?”

“Yes.” He said, though it was only partially true. 

“Better than a slave I guess.”

“You were a slave?” Hux asked her.

“Prisoner might be the better word. I was supposed to be engaged to the man I was given to. Like an arranged marriage. But…” She trailed off. “Am I making you uncomfortable?” She asked him.

“What?” 

“I can sense it. With the Force. You’re uncomfortable about something.”

Hux scoffed. “I’ve seen far worse than the marks on your back.”

“I have no doubt.” Myrcerys replied.

Hux was taken aback by the sincerity of her tone. Not a hint of mockery was present. 

“Ow.” She hissed suddenly, as his fingers brushed over the site of a fracture, but she did not move.

“So. What do your friends call you?”

“I don’t have ‘friends’.” Hux scoffed.

She muttered something, that the General did not quite catch, but it sounded like ‘I wonder why.’

“Well if you did,” She went on. “What would they call you?”

“Hux.”

“Do you have a first name?” She asked him.

“Yes.”

“Will you tell me what it is?”

“No.”

She sighed. “Alright, Hux. Where are you from?”

“Why are you so talkative?”

“Because it is very awkward for me to be sitting here with my shirt off, and I’d rather not think too much about it.” She said, voice very controlled.

“So don’t think about it.” Hux told her, not in the mood to talk with her.

She chuckled softly. “It really doesn’t work that way, but I’ll try.”

  
  


Mercy wasn’t sure whether or not to be annoyed about Hux’s attitude.

She was just trying to be friendly, which was not a courtesy the other Resistance members would extend to him, but really, that wasn’t her problem. 

She tried to think of something that would take her mind off the current situation.

_ Stars, she was half-naked in front of General Hux.  _

_ It’s just for the bacta _ . She reminded herself.  _ Stop making it so awkward. _

“Finished.” Hux said dismissively, and twisted to look at him.

“Thank you.” She tried, earning an uninterested shrug from the General.

“Do you ever get lonely?” She blurted out suddenly, and mentally kicked herself. What the _ fuck _ had prompted her to say that?

“What?” Hux said slowly. Mercy shook her head.

“Forget I ever said that. Okay?” She told him, and all but ran out of the room.

By the time she got to the cockpit, she was even more embarrassed.  _ Way to make an idiot out of yourself Myrcerys _ . She silently scolded herself.

“Hey Mercy.” Poe greeted, winking at her. “How’s your boyfriend?”

“My boyfri-? Oh shut up!” 

Poe burst out laughing.

“He’s not my boyfriend.”

“Hey. It’s okay. You’re an adult, you can make your own choices, but be responsible.” Poe snickered.

“Are you having ‘the talk’ with me?” Mercy gasped in disbelief, as Finn howled with laughter.

“Ugh. Where’s Chewie?” She asked, annoyed.

Both men immediately sombered up.

“He’s pretty torn up about Leia…”

Mercy nodded sadly, and Poe rested a hand on her shoulder.

“Mercy. I’m teasing you because right now it’s the only thing I can do other than cry. And for now, I’d rather laugh.”

Mercy understood. Poe had always been one to grieve privately. He didn’t like others to see his pain.

The least she could do now was support Poe on the way back to base.

“So what do we do about Hux when we get back to base?”

“I’m not sure.” Poe admitted. “Did you get anywhere with him?”

Mercy scoffed at the memory of Hux’s coldness towards her. “I’d have an easier time befriending a sarlacc.” She replied.

“Huh. But he still helped you?”

“Yeah. ‘Cause I’m a weapon that can be used against Kylo Ren.” She muttered.

“Ah. I see.”

“Ugh. You, Finn, Rey, and Leia are the only ones who always saw me as just a person.” Mercy said softly. 

“Hey. I think that Thorn saw you as a person.” 

Mercy smiled at the thought of her Nexu. She was glad she would see him again soon.

“Actually, I think his first though was, ‘dinner.’ But hey, it all turned out okay.” She laughed. 

For a moment, they were all silent, and then Mercy silently padded over to Poe, wrapping her arms around his neck in a gentle hug.

“We’re not gonna give up.” She whispered.

Poe held Mercy gently, so as not to aggravate her ribs, and nodded slightly.

“Damn right we’re not.” He told her firmly.

“If anyone says otherwise, I’m going to put my foot so far up his ass that the dentist will be picking leather out of his teeth.” The girl replied, and Poe laughed. Typical Mercy.

She was a warrior. She’d always been a warrior. 

The console beeped, breaking Poe out of his thoughts.

“We’re back.” he said finally, and slowed to make the landing approach to Ajan Kloss.


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Mercy is a precious girl and I love her, okay?
> 
> Also, please let me know what you think!

“You’d better warn everyone about who’s with us.” Mercy suggested to Poe as they landed.

“Don’t worry. I will.” He replied.

She walked over to Hux.

“Uh, try to be… not an asshole.” She said half-heartedly, knowing he wouldn’t listen to her anyway.

Mercy wasn’t even off the ramp yet when Thorn raced up to her, purring.

“I missed you boy.” She told him, as she crouched, patting his head.

“You have a pet nexu?” Hux asked from behind her.

“Yeah.”    
“What’s his name?” Hux queried, surprising her.   
“Thorn. His name is Thorn.”

“How did you get him?”

“My… abuser, Oryll, he wanted nexus for his fighting pits. A mercenary brought a whole litter. Thorn was the runt, so Oryll told me to drown him. I refused.” She smiled fondly at Thorn, scratching under his chin.

“It was the first time I ever stood up to Oryll. He told me that if I cared so much for the cub, then we could die together, and he stabbed me in the chest.” She shrugged. “That’s how I met Poe. He found me and Thorn under a bush.”   
“Hey Mercy, we need to plan our next move!” Poe called, his voice serious now.

Mercy sighed. “Come on.” She told Hux, and walked into the base, Thorn beside her.

Poe paced around, frowning.

“It’s useless.” He groaned. “The wayfinder was destroyed. We’ve got no way to find Exegol. It’s over.”

Mercy glared at him.

“Shame on you.” She snarled. “Imagine what Leia would say to that.”

Poe didn’t want to. He just wanted to scream his frustration at the galaxy.

“We don’t have a chance against their fleet.” Poe told her.

“So what? We still have a choice. We die on our feet or on our knees! And I for one, want to tell Palpatine to go fuck himself before I die.”

Poe actually smiled at Mercy’s ferocity. 

“Come on Poe. Let’s figure out how to get to Exegol, so we can tell Palpatine to shove his fucking fleet up his ass.” Poe looked into her molten gold eyes.

She raised an eyebrow.

Mercy sat by Leia’s still body, a single tear slipping down her cheek.

“I feel lost… I’m not giving up but… I don’t want to die for nothing either.” She told her mentor. General Leia Organa had been the closest thing Mercy had ever had to a mother. 

“You saw something in me. You didn’t give up on me. I’m not going to let you down now, but I don’t know how to destroy the whole Sith fleet.” She whispered, sniffling. “How did you do it? How were you ready?” Mercy asked.

“We weren’t, kid.” A male voice said from behind her.

Mercy turned as Lando Calrissian walked up to her. “But you’ll find a way.” He told her. “We all will.” Mercy smiled as the veteran walked towards Poe.

A thought struck her, and she stood up, wiping her eyes.

“I have an idea. I’ll be right back.” She told Poe.

“Would the First Order have kept it under wraps that you betrayed them?” Myrcerys’ voice startled Hux.

“Sorry, did I scare you?” She asked apologetically, as her nexu sat beside her, still as a statue.

“Hardly.” Hux replied, rolling his eyes. “And, to answer your question, yes, they would have ‘kept it under wraps’ as you put it.”

“So could you get me onto the  _ Steadfast _ ?” Myrcerys asked curiously. 

Hux shrugged. “Perhaps. Why?”

“Because it’s the command ship. If we could take the bridge… well, we could do a lot of damage with a Star Destroyer.” The girl said calmly. For a moment, he just looked at her. Her hair, he noticed, was a warmer brown than he had originally thought, and had a coppery-red tinge to it. Her eyes were lakes of fiery gold, and in them, he could see determination, a will of steel. She was stronger than she looked.

And more beautiful than he would have liked to admit. He wasn’t supposed to notice this. He wasn’t supposed to care about her looks.

He certainly should not have been wondering if her lips were as soft as they looked.

The General shook his head. It didn’t matter. A Resistance fighter wasn’t suitable for him anyway. It was better if he just ignored her.

For a moment, Hux’s eyes were unguarded, and she saw a strange expression flash through them, one that she was not familiar with.

_ Stars. What was that? Why did he look at me that way? Is there a bug in my hair? _

She instinctively raked her fingers through her hair, and was relieved to find an absence of insects.

_ Okay, so not my hair. What then? _

Thorn yawned, and Mercy crouched down, scratching his jaw.

“Hey, Mercy!” Finn called. “We’re receiving coordinates from Rey. She’s leading us to Exegol.”

Mercy met Hux’s gaze. “Well, we can see what Poe says.” She told him, and jogged off.

She was not even going to try to work out the tangle of emotions she was feeling, instead, she was going to ignore them in the hopes that they would go away.

But the more she tried to push the thoughts away, the more insistent they became. 

_ Fine. Yes. Hux is attractive. Very attractive. Okay? End of story.  _ She was not going to think about just how attractive he was. 

She had never really been interested in anyone before. She’d always assumed that Oryll had broken that part of her spirit, that she wasn’t capable of  _ any  _ romantic feelings, even those as innocent as a crush.

The realization that she could have been wrong scared her. She didn’t know how to act in a real relationship. For the first time, she understood with clarity that she had never been truly shattered.

Broken yes, but not beyond repair. 

And she would reflect on what that meant if she managed to survive the battle with the Final Order.

Her slender fingers curled around the smooth hilt of her newly constructed lightsaber.

The weight of the weapon gave her comfort, and Mercy took a deep breath.

It was time to go to Exegol.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thorn knows what's going on.


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mercy and Hux begin to understand each other

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yeah sooo, I finally updated.

Hux watched as Myrcerys spun the lightsaber. It’s white blade flashed and hummed with energy.

Hux instinctively moved away from her, he had seen first hand what a lightsaber could do.

The girl glanced at him with her shining golden eyes.

“Don’t be afraid. I won’t hurt you.” She told him, half-smiling.

Hux just shrugged, and turned away from her.

“Oh, was I not supposed to notice?” Her voice was now edged with sarcasm.

“How about you mind your own business?” Hux snapped, turning to glare at her.

She raised an eyebrow.

“You kind’ve are my business. This is a dangerous plan, and I’m a means to an end to you. As long as Kylo Ren loses, you don’t care if I die.” She didn’t sound angry, she spoke calmly, as if she understood this.

Hux did not answer her, but he couldn’t quite convince himself that she was right.

He did not want her to die.

He scowled. He was determined not to care about the rebel.

“You’re a Jedi.” Was all he said. “You and the Scavenger have the best chance of defeating Ren.”

“I’m not exactly a Jedi, and that ‘Scavenger’ as you call her, has a name. Rey.” Hux was taken aback by her reply.

“What do you mean, not exactly a Jedi?” He demanded.

“I’m a Grey Jedi. It means I use both the lightside and the darkside.”

Hux was intrigued. “How can you use both?” He asked her, genuinely curious now.

“I use my anger to draw on the darkside for power, but I also follow some of the Jedi codes.” She shrugged.

“I will not deny my bitterness or anger, but I won’t let them control me either.” She smiled wryly. “It also means that I do form attachments. The Jedi were not allowed to take lovers. If I was interested, I would.”

“If?” Hux asked her.

“Never found anyone who I wanted to be with.” Myrcerys replied.

“Because someone raped you?” He guessed, voicing the suspicions that he had since she had been anxious about having him touch her back. The way she had stiffened when asked to remove her top.

“Ah, you figured it out.” 

“How old were you?”

“The first time? Thirteen.”

Hux winced.

“I did not have, what you would call, a happy childhood.” 

“Get in line.” Hux said bitterly.

She glanced over at him. “A sad thing to have in common.” She noted.

“I suppose it is.”

She met his gaze, her golden eyes shining like a perfect sunrise.

“Did you ever get revenge?” Mercy asked curiously. 

Hux raised an eyebrow, but nodded curtly.

“Yes.”

“Tell me.” She said.

“Why should I?” Hux scoffed.

“Because I want to know. I dream of revenge every day.” It was true. How many times had she dreamed of running a lightsaber through Oryll? Of feeding his corpse to Thorn?

“Fine. I had my father poisoned. A terrible thing, this poison, it would have been painful.”

“Good.” Mercy said firmly. “Though I myself could never use poison.”

“Why is that? Do you think it cowardly?” Hux sneered.

“No.” Mercy said, ignoring his disdain. “I want to see the life leave his eyes. I want my face to be the last thing he ever sees. I want him to know that it was me. That he lost his sick game. That I lived.”

She noticed Hux’s expression.

“That surprises you?” She asked him.

“A little. But I will say I admire the spirit.”

Mercy smiled slightly. 

“I admired it when you hit Pryde as well.” He went on.

“It felt good.” She admitted.

“But you must have known it was useless.”

“Of course I did. But I wanted to show him that he couldn’t break me.” She said, meeting the former General’s eyes. “I wanted to show him that he was nothing special. I wanted to show I was defiant. I spent too long afraid.”

Hux studied her for a moment. 

“You may yet defeat Ren.” He said finally.

“Right. I’m a weapon.” She said, mentally kicking herself. _Never tell him about your past again. Idiot. He doesn’t care about you._

Hux could see the irritation in her eyes.

“I’m not, you know.” She said coolly.

Hux frowned. “Not what?”

“A weapon. I’m a living girl with feelings. Not something you can use and discard. Oryll thought that about me. I won’t let anyone else.”

She turned to glare out the window.

“I’m sorry.” He said, almost without thinking. She looked back at him, surprise written all over her lovely face. “I didn’t mean to offend you.”

Her eyes softened. 

“Thank you.” She said softly. “I appreciate that.”

She sat down beside him.

“What will you do? When this is all over?” She asked him finally.

Hux shrugged. “Rot in whatever jail you put me in.” He said coldly.

“We aren’t going to throw you in a jail. The whole Resistance is basically about second chances.”

“Not for me.”

“Why? ‘Cause of the Starkiller?” She asked him calmly. “Wasn’t Ren involved in that?”

“What does Ren have to do with this.”

“Rey still tried to save him. Even after all of that. Even after he killed his father, who by the way, was a good man.”

“Ren is General Organa’s son. No one would give me the same chance.” Hux said bitterly.

“I would.” Myrcerys said softly.

Hux met her eyes. “Well, I understand why they call you Mercy.” He said finally.

She tilted her head. “Do you think I’m soft?” She asked him.

“No.”

“Good. Because I’m not. I couldn’t afford to be.”

“No. I suppose you couldn’t.”

She was silent for a moment.

“When i asked you if you were lonely… I meant it.”

“What makes you think that?”

“They say it’s lonely at the top. Is it?”

For a moment, Hux was silent, unsure of whether or not to answer.

“Yes.” He admitted finally. “Or at least, it can be.”

“Was it worth it?” She asked him, her voice quiet. 

“Would you think so?” He asked, instead of answering.

“No.” She replied. “I don’t think any power would be worth it, would ever be satisfying enough to be worth it. It would never make up for the past.” She shrugged.

Hux was about to answer when the monitor beeped.

The ship dropped out of Lightspeed.

Myrcerys looked up.

“Welcome to Exegol.” She said, and jogged to the cockpit.


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The battle of Exegol begins.

Getting onto the  _ Steadfast _ had been easier than Hux had anticipated, so far, there had been no trouble.

He’d transmitted the codes, claiming he had escaped the Resistance, and had a prisoner.

The young officer who’d cleared him seemed more stunned than suspicious.

Myrcerys walked ahead of him, head bowed as if she hadn’t planned this whole thing.

As two stormtroopers approached, she glanced back at him.

“General Hux.” The voice was curt. “We’ve been instructed to escort you to the Allegiant General.”

The hum of the saber filled the hall. Myrcerys stepped forward, the white glow reflected in her blazing eyes.

“Change of plan boys.” She said calmly.

“Who are you?” The second trooper asked in a shocked tone.

The girl frowned. “Now really, this is getting insulting.” She huffed. Before Hux could blink, both troops were flung backwards by an unseen force.

Mercy lowered her hand, still looking offended.

“Why is that the first thing they say? ‘Who are you?’” She scowled, deactivating her saber.

Hux smirked slightly at the snarkiness. The girl was a spitfire, there was no denying that.

“General Hux.” Pryde’s mocking voice caused him to turn. Beside him, Myrcerys cursed softly. “How nice of you to return.” Pryde went on.

The older man was holding a blaster. He stepped closer, still smirking.

“And you’ve brought the spirited one with you. A good try, Hux, but not enough to save you.”

The blaster fired, and Hux flinched back, waiting for the impact.

A flash of white obscured his vision, and the bolt spun away, striking the wall several feet past Pryde.

“I said we’d finish this in hell.” She said calmly. “This is close enough.” 

“Myrcerys Stormdream.” Pryde said smugly. “The second Jedi of the Resistance.”

“Recognition at last.” She sneered.

Pryde turned his attention back to Hux. 

“I always thought you held nothing but disdain for the Resistance,  _ Armitage. _ ” Pryde spat the name. The same way Brendol had.

Hux clenched his fist.

“Is this conversation going somewhere, Fuckface?” Myrcerys asked.

Under different circumstances, Hux may have laughed at her attitude.

Pryde raised the blaster, leveling it at Hux’s forehead.

“Drop your saber, Scum, or your new ally dies, and you’re left with no one to help you escape.”

Myrcerys crouched, placing her saber on the tiled floor.

She straightened, raising her hands in surrender.

“Turn around.” Pryde instructed. She obeyed without protest. 

“You too.” The older man snarled, prodding Hux in the chest with the blaster. Hux turned, glancing at Myrcerys.

“Down on your knees.” Pryde instructed.

As Hux knelt, he noticed that Myrcerys’ saber had begun to hover slightly, raising slowly off the ground.

The girl’s eyes were closed in concentration.

“Any last words?”

Myrcerys mumbled something.

Pryde leaned forward, sneering.

“What was that? I couldn’t hear you.”

The saber flashed to life, it’s lethal blade igniting through the side of Pryde’s chest, and emerging cleanly on the opposite side.

Myrcerys stood up, and Pryde looked at her in disbelief.

She leaned in close to him, golden eyes burning like embers.

“I said, Go to hell.” She snarled, and grabbed her saber hilt, wrenching the weapon free.

The Allegiant General’s corpse toppled to the floor in an undignified heap.

Mercy turned towards Hux as he stood up. 

“We need to get out of here.” He told her. “Pryde will have already alerted this entire ship of our presence.”

Mercy nodded, eyes darting around, scanning for any approaching troops.

“Lead the way.” She told him, an uneasy feeling creeping into her chest.

_ Rey was in trouble. _

Mercy broke into a sprint, shouting at Hux to hurry.

“What’s wrong?” He yelled at her.

“Rey’s in trouble! She needs help!” 

She heard him cursing, but he met her pace.

They rounded the corner, and to Mercy’s relief, the escape pods were unguarded.

Hux opened the doors of one, and gestured for her to get in.

“You’re going to face Palpatine?” Hux asked her.

“Yes.” Mercy said simply, as she ducked into the pod, Hux right behind her.

He keyed in a code, and the pod detached from the  _ Steadfast _ , gliding smoothly to the rocky terrain. 

As they landed, Mercy handed him her comlink.

“Tell Finn you’re here. Maybe you can help them take the destroyers down.”

She opened the hatch, not willing to waste a second.

“Mercy.” Hearing Hux say her nickname surprised her, and she turned to look at him.

His face was surprisingly concerned. “Be careful.” He said sincerely.

Mercy smiled, and nodded slightly, before she turned, and ran towards the Sith Temple.

“My friends… I’m sorry.” Poe managed to say, his hopelessness all engulfing. “I thought we had a shot… But there’s just too many of them.”

A familiar voice came through the comm. “But there are more of us Poe.”

The pilot looked up as a massive horde of ships appeared above him, the _ Falcon _ at it’s head.

Their allies had rallied.

For the briefest of moments, Poe was speechless.

Then, his hope rekindled, he shouted.

“Hit those bottom cannons with everything you’ve got! Every one destroyed is a world saved!”

They could still win this war.

Rey lay on her side, barely conscious, as her grandfather approached.

Ben staggered to his feet, but was immediately lifted into the air by Palpatine.

“As once I fell…” She heard the Sith Lord say, but it sounded distant. “So falls the last Skywalker.”

And then, she could no longer sense Ben. Like so many others, he was gone.

_ They had failed…  _

“Never fear my faithful.” Palpatine cackled, raising his hands. Rey watched in helpless horror as he unleashed a barrage of Force-Lighting on the united fleet.

Rey rolled onto her back, a tear slipping down her cheek as she watched the destruction that she had failed to stop.

“Nothing will stop the return of the Sith!” Palpatine shouted maniacally, and Rey felt despair threatening to swallow her. 

“I beg to differ.” A familiar voice said calmly. Rey turned her head as Myrcerys Stormdream ignited her white lightsaber.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Mercy "I'm about to end this man's whole career." Stormdream


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The final battle with Palpatine

“Ah, they Grey Jedi.” Palpatine mocked. “I wondered when you would arrive.”

“Well, I’m here.” Mercy snarled, stalking closer. Her golden eyes narrowed as she faced the Sith Lord.

“Are you really going to die for this cause?” Palpatine asked her. “You have such rage and hate. You could have all the power of the Darkside at your disposal.”

“I didn’t come here for power.” The young Force-user replied. “I came here to kill you.”

Palpatine cackled madly. “Anger is not the way of the Jedi.”

“I am no Jedi.” Mercy replied. “I thought we’d established that.” She raised her saber.

“So you have chosen to die.” The Sith said, and directed his blast of Force-Lightning at her.

Mercy raised her saber to absorb the blast, gritting her teeth from the effort. 

“You are alone here.”

_ Alone. Do you really think you can win this alone?  _ Her thoughts whispered.

_ “You’re not alone.” _ An unfamiliar voice told her.

_ “The Force will always be with you.”  _ Another voice added.

_ “You are a Jedi, Myrcerys Stormdream. You may use Light and Dark, but the truth of your allegiance lies in your heart.” _

The voices of the Jedi who came before. They were with her.

She raised her golden eyes.

“I am not alone.”

She raised her right hand, grimacing from effort.

For a moment, nothing happened.

Then an explosion of white lightning erupted from her finger tips, catching Palpatine off guard. Smoke rose from the Sith Lord’s robes.

Mercy took advantage of the brief respite.

“I am not alone.” She repeated. Palpatine jeered at her.

“Are you ready to die?”

“Are you?” She replied, and behind her, she heard Rey getting to her feet. The hum of the second lightsaber filled the air.

“You are nothing!” Palpatine bellowed, directing half of his lighting at Rey, and half at Mercy. Both girls blocked it with their lightsabers. “A Scavenger girl and a Slave are no match for the Power in me!” His yellow eyes shone with an evil glint.

“I am all of the Sith!”

“And we…” Rey growled in reply, exchanging a look with Mercy. “Are all of the Jedi.”

At her words, Mercy spun on her heel, crossing her lightsaber with Rey’s, uttering a shrieking, feral war cry as she did so.

Against either girl alone, Palpatine was stronger, but against their combined power, the odds were evening out.

A surge of energy deflected the lightning back at Palpatine, and the Sith Lord began to scream.

Mercy pressed on, pushing back at Palpatine with everything she had, watching as the Dark Lord’s flesh began to melt away.

A brilliant flash erupted throughout the cavern, and suddenly, Mercy was pushing against nothing.

Palpatine was destroyed.

Her triumph was tempered by the wave of exhaustion that washed over her, she dropped to her knees, and the world went dark.

  
  


At first, Hux thought she was dead, as he jogged closer to Mercy’s still body, he saw the way her sides and chest heaved with each breath.

He knelt beside her, pulling her into his lap.

The Jedi’s golden eyes flickered open.

“Hux?” She asked hoarsely. “What are you doing?”

“Just checking if you were still alive.” Hux replied, hoping the darkness would hide the sudden flush in his cheeks.

Mercy’s small smile told him that that was too much to ask.

“Careful.” She said, a playful edge to her raspy voice. “I may start to think you care.”

“How do you feel?”

“Like I’ve been run over by a Corellian freighter.” She groaned. “Where’s Rey?”

“Here.” The scavenger replied, sounding equally tired.

“Hux?” A new voice growled. Kylo Ren stood across the floor, glaring at him.

Mercy sat up, wincing. As Ren started towards them, she staggered to her feet, igniting her lightsaber.

“Close enough.” She spat at the Supreme Leader.

A look of disbelief crossed the man’s face.

“He’s with you?”

“Yes.” Mercy growled in reply.

“Ben… It’s a long story.” Rey said tiredly. “I’ll explain later.”

_ Ben. She’s calling him Ben. _

Hux felt fury rising inside him.  _ He’d betrayed the First Order for  _ **_nothing._ ** _ Everything he’d ever stood for. _

Beside him, Mercy deactivated her saber, and Hux looked over at her.

“Well, I don’t know about you people, but  _ I _ would like to leave this forsaken place now.”

The Scavenger nodded in agreement, and followed Mercy, leaving Hux and Ren glaring at each other.

“You’re the spy.” Ren spat, advancing towards Hux.

“Well, you’re on their side too, aren’t you?” Hux snarled back, edging away. 

“Enough!” Mercy and Rey barked at the same time.

Both men turned to look at them. The scavenger looked tired, Mercy looked angry.

“What are you, eight years old? You both left the First Order, shut the fuck up and accept it.” She snapped, golden eyes blazing.

For a moment, Hux was speechless. Off to his right, Ren spluttered in shock at her attitude.

  
  
  


Finn broke into a sprint the moment he saw Mercy and Rey emerge from the temple.

“You made it.” He cried, grabbing both girls in a hug. 

“Ow!” Mercy yelped. “Easy Finn.”

“Are you hurt?”

“I broke my ribs, remember?” She asked.

In all honesty, Finn hadn’t. She hadn’t voiced a single complaint until now. 

He looked up as Hux emerged, squabbling with Kylo Ren.

Mercy sighed. “Force, give me strength.” She growled.

Rey chuckled slightly.

“Oi! Bitch-boys!” Mercy yelled, catching the two men’s attention. “I thought we agreed that you weren’t eight years old.”

She noticed Finn’s questioning look. “It’s a long story.” 

Rey nodded in agreement.

Rey was exhausted, and was really looking forward to resting on the way back to Ajan Kloss.

Ben was sitting silently beside her, probably still stung by Mercy calling him a ‘bitch-boy’. Rey giggled.

“What?” Ben asked her, tilting his head.

“Mercy. You get used to her.”

“How long does that take?”

“It depends.”

“Great.” Ben sighed. Then he frowned. “So what’s the story with her and Hux?”

“He saved her, Finn, Poe, and Chewie from being executed. Then she saved his life when he was shot.”

“Hux was shot?”

“Yes. In the chest. Mercy used Force-Healing to save him.”

Ben seemed unable to fathom the idea of wasting energy on healing Hux.

“Why?”

“Because he saved her life. And she’s a good person.” Rey sighed, exasperated.

Mercy didn’t look up as Hux sat down across from her. He was still furious about Ren.

“Where are you from?” He asked her, surprising her.

She raised her eyes. “Vendaxa.”

Hux seemed taken aback. “Really?”

“Yes.” She smiled slightly. “I’ve befriended many acklay over the years.”

Hux seemed puzzled. 

“A joke.” Mercy sighed. “I actually ran away from many acklay over the years. Aside from one incident that involved a juvenile, much screaming, and a tree branch.”

“You… hit an acklay with a tree branch?” 

“Yes. Once. I panicked.”

To her surprise, Hux began to laugh. “You really are a spitfire.” He noted.

“Uh, thanks?” She replied, hoping that it was meant as a compliment. With anyone else, she wouldn't care. But she did with him.  


Hux looked into her gorgeous eyes.  _ Kriff, you’re beautiful. _ He thought, and then immediately realized that she could have heard his thoughts.

If she had, she didn’t react.

Hux tried to think of something to say. Something to break the silence, but the beeping of the console interrupted him.

They were back at the rebel base.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Mercy is so done with First Order drama. 
> 
> Please feel free to leave comments.


	9. Chapter 9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The rebels celebrate their victory

The celebration that night was what might have been called legendary. Music played, people were talking and laughing and dancing.

None of which Hux cared much about. He was too wrapped up in his thoughts about how his betrayal had been in vain.

Kylo Ren was still alive.

“Something wrong, Hugs?” Came the insufferable pilot’s voice. “Are you allergic to fun?”

“Go easy, Poe.” Mercy’s voice said. Hux turned to look at her, and his eyes widened.

She was breathtaking, dressed in a long gown of white and gold, her long, mahogany hair hung down to her waist. Her nexu sat beside her.

She smiled softly. “You get used to him.” She told Hux. “Theoretically.” She added, and Hux snickered. 

“She’s right.” Dameron exclaimed, heading off.

“Don’t be so sullen, Hux. It wasn’t all for nothing.”

“Wasn’t it?”

“Well, I mean, you met  _ me _ , didn’t you?”

Her smile was playful and teasing. 

  
  


Much softer, slower music began to play.

“I love this song.” Mercy smiled.

Hux didn’t know what possessed him, but he stood, holding out a hand in offering. He saw surprise flicker in her eyes, but she took his hand, and walked out to where some other rebels were dancing.

As one hand moved to her waist, she curled her fingers through his own.

Hux had, of course, been taught to dance formally. And so, it seemed, had Mercy.

She moved fluidly, following his lead perfectly. 

The clearing was lit with braziers and torches, and the flames danced in Mercy’s golden eyes, seeming to illuminate them from the inside. 

Hux took in the sight of her. He had never seen someone so beautiful.

“Am I hallucinating, or is Hux… Dancing with Mercy?” Finn asked.

“No. I see it too.” Poe agreed.

“Kriff, they’re actually good.” Finn added.

“He actually looks… Not angry or scornful.” Poe noted.

“I think he may actually like her.”

“That’s a first.”

“No kidding.” Finn snorted.

“Don’t you have something better to do than stare at Mercy?” Rose asked. “Like, actually celebrating?”

“Rose. She’s dancing with Hux.”

“I know. I have eyes.” Rose replied. 

Mercy followed Hux’s lead, entirely wrapped up in the moment. She couldn’t believe he’d asked her.

She’d been taught to dance as a girl, but this is the first time she was actually dancing with someone she wanted to.

As the song came to an end, she smiled up at Hux.

“I enjoyed that.” She told him. “Thank you.”

His green eyes held hers for a moment, then he nodded politely, and started to head back to his seat.

“Hux, wait.” Mercy said softly. She didn’t want him to go.

“Come with me. I have something to show you.” She smiled hopefully.

The former general hesitated, and then shrugged. “Alright.”

She had never shown anyone her ‘secret place’ before, well, except for Rey, but that had been for different reasons entirely.

The forest was peaceful, and quiet. Mercy breathed the night air deeply, and walked down the barely visible path. Thorn darted down ahead of her, already knowing their destination.

“You like to dash off into the forest at night?” Hux asked her, and Mercy smiled.

“Yes. I’m a bit wild that way.” She laughed. “It’s just up here.”

A curtain of vines concealed it. Mercy pushed them aside, and entered her favorite place on the planet.

The cave glowed faintly, lit by the crystals inside of it. She heard Hux’s sharp intake of breath.

“This is where I found my Kyber Crystal.” She murmured, walking deeper inside. “It’s beautiful, isn’t it?” Mercy asked him.

“Yes. It is.” Hux’s voice was full of wonder. He looked around the cave, the crystals reflecting in his eyes like a thousand stars.

In a sense, he was like her. He had been treated horribly, abused, just like she had. Had become powerful, just like she had.

_ Rising from the ashes.  _ She mused, crouching beside Thorn. The great feline began to purr as she scratched his chin.

Hux felt her eyes on him, and turned to look at her. 

“Why are you showing me this?” He asked her. 

“I felt that you should have some time, away from the party. This is my favorite place.” She shrugged, and returned to stroking her pet’s fur.

“And why are you here, Mercy?” He asked her. “Why are you not back with the others?” She straightened up.

“You’re one of us now, Hux, you became one of us when you saved us on the  _ Steadfast. _ ” She replied, stepping closer to him. “But you need time to adjust. I’m just trying to help.” 

“Why you?” He asked her.

“Because I understand you, better than the others, at least. You and I have both gone through horrible things. I don’t know the details of your abuse. But I’ll tell you mine.” She met his eyes. “I spent four years of my life as the prisoner of man who beat me, whipped me, and repeatedly raped me. Believe me, Hux, I know pain, and I know anger.” She took a breath. “My real father died when I was three months old. My mother, Callisto, remarried a very abusive man. He and his son are both… people I would rather see dead.” Her eyes never left his. “My mother did what she could to protect me, but she died when I was ten. I thought life couldn’t get any worse, and then my stepfather sold me like an animal, just a few days after my thirteenth birthday.” She sighed. “So, I also know fear. I understand how you must have felt. I understand why you killed your father. I would have killed my stepfather, if I’d had a means to do so.” She told him calmly.

Hux looked at her for a long moment. “But I also had, for ten years, a mother who loved me. I’m guessing you didn’t.” She said it softly.

“No. I didn’t.” Hux said bitterly, thinking of Maratelle. “My stepmother hated me even more than my father. He also beat me, and whipped me.”

“A pity we can’t kill people twice.” Mercy noted. She must have sensed Hux’s surprise. “This is what I meant, about being a Grey Jedi.” She told him. “I never could let go of my anger. I never could leave it in the past. If I met Oryll, or my stepfather, or my stepbrother, even today, I’d kill them.” She said it matter-of-factly. The nexu stalked over, taking his place beside his mistress.

“No child should ever live through what we did.” She said softly. Then she stepped closer to him, and kissed him lightly on the lips.

``

" Mercy's dress (Made with Azalea's dolls)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Whoo. I enjoyed this chapter


	10. Chapter 10

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mercy and Hux continue to talk.

For a moment, Hux froze up, every muscle tensing. Then he relaxed, melted into the heat that suddenly engulfed him.

When they parted, Mercy looked him in the eyes.

“I’ve never done that before.” She said, quietly. “I’m not sure I did it right.”

“You did.” Hux managed after a moment. 

She smiled softly, and his heart lurched. 

_ She’s Resistance. I can’t want this. _ His thoughts raced.

Those golden eyes seemed to look straight through him. No. _ Into _ him. They were so different, polar opposites, so how could it be that he saw himself in her? The same jagged edges of emotional wounds that refused to heal. No matter what they did to rise above the past.

But unlike him, she’d had the courage to stand up and defy her abuser, even if he’d almost killed her for it, she’d  _ fought back. _

Hux hadn’t killed Brendol himself, Phasma had.

But this rebel… she wanted revenge for what had been done to her. She wanted to do it herself.

He admired her for that.

“Hux? You’re staring at me.” Her voice broke through the wall of memories.

He shook his head, and blinked. “Sorry.”

She shrugged. “Are you alright?”

“Yes.” He said it too harshly, and she frowned.

“You’re not, but if you want me to pretend otherwise, just ask.” She said, her eyes full of empathy.

_ You should hate me. Why won’t you hate me? _

It struck him that he was scared to have anyone actually care for him. He had no idea how to understand such things.

“How did you get over it?” He blurted out. 

She met his gaze, and when she spoke, her voice was level, but her eyes were sad. “I didn’t.”

When he said nothing, she continued.

“I wake up screaming all the time. I have flashbacks, in my dreams, flashbacks to the first time…” She paused, took a deep breath. “To the first time he raped me.”

Hux tried to search for words.

“I was thirteen years old, small, thin, so scared I was shaking. He was gripping the back of my neck the whole time. At first he just… touched me. He was rough, but I thought maybe I could handle it… Then, he really started to hurt me. He was heavy, right on top of me. He had me facing away from him. Then, he just… started raping me.” Her eyes were distant now, as she recanted the story. “Nothing had ever hurt so much. I cried, screamed, begged. He told me that I was going to learn how to shut up and take it. I could cry if I wanted to, but I had better be quiet about it.”

She took a shaky breath, reaching out to her nexu for comfort. “When it was over, I was in shock, I was bleeding, and in so much pain that I could barely stumble into the refresher before I started throwing up. He just left me there, lying on the floor, naked, bleeding. I swore to myself that someday, I’d make him pay for it.”

Thorn purred as she absently scratched under his jaw. Mercy was glad for his presence. It helped her recount her story.

She’d never told anyone about it in this kind of detail.

“He knew I hated him. But I feared him more. He never let me near any weapons. He knew that I’d butcher him like the pig he was if I could…” How many nights had she slunk off to bed, bruised and sore, thighs slick with blood, when he was finished with her?

Too many.

“It was more common at first, then started to span after a while, to every few weeks. When I turned fifteen, I started to resist. I was still too afraid to actively fight him. I knew what would happen if I did that.” She paused. “But by this point, I didn’t even cry anymore. When I turned seventeen, I finally snapped. I refused to drown Thorn in a bucket. I pushed Oryll, hit him, and broke his thumb before he stabbed me.” Mercy remembered how cold the blade had felt. She felt hatred twisting inside her. One day, he’d be on the receiving end of her lightsaber. “I told myself it was worth dying for, to have defied him like that. But then Poe arrived. He found me, and Thorn. He saved me.”

Hux was looking at her, an odd expression on his face.

“I’m sorry.” He said it quietly. “I’m sorry he did that to you. I’m sorry no one helped you.”

She just looked at him. “Thank you.” She said, voice equally soft.

Hux nodded, then met her eyes. “I hope you meet again. And I hope to the stars that you rip him to pieces for what he did.”

“I will.” She meant it. The last thing that Oryll would ever see was her face, the hatred in her eyes. The last thing he would ever hear was her voice, when she told him that he’d failed to break her spirit. 

She stood up, shaking her head. “Well, that was a lovely trip down memory lane.” She said, her sarcasm drawing a slight smile from Hux. “We should probably get back.” She added, and he simply nodded in agreement. 

Rey had a pretty good idea of where Mercy had taken Hux, and wondered what the former general had thought about it.

Mercy’s gaze landed on Ben, and Rey saw the bitterness in her eyes.

She had resented him ever since a blast from his TIE fighter killed Tallison Lintra. Rey had never met the pilot, but according to Poe, she and Mercy had been close friends. Tallie’s death had hit her hard.

She’d done a good job of hiding her resentment, but Rey could sense the turmoil in Mercy, the desire to make Kylo Ren pay.

The frustration and guilt that she couldn’t avenge Tallie.

The emotion coming from Hux was just disdain, and intense dislike, which, in Rey’s opinion, would be easier for Ben to handle then the grief and anger in Mercy.

Ben couldn’t look at the Grey Jedi, couldn’t find the strength or courage to meet those accusing golden eyes.

It was hatred, fueled by love. Love for a friend that he had killed a year prior.

He hadn’t known the woman in question, her name was unfamiliar. She was just another Rebel who’d died in the war.

But Myrcerys Stormdream wasn’t going to ever forget what had happened, and he could feel her disgust and bitter anger as she walked past, between Hux and her pet Nexu.

No, he’d never really thought about how some nameless rebel’s death would effect his life. His path back to the Light.

But now he had no choice.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, I didn't actually mind Kylo Ren coming to the light, or Reylo becoming canon. HOWEVER, Ben Solo still has a long way to come before I will actually consider him redeemed. Hence why I have this arc going on in the background.


	11. Chapter 11

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mercy confronts Hux about the Starkiller

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, I'm back from my hiatus for a while. Please be warned there is graphic abuse in this chapter, and implied rape imagery (From Mercy's past) So if this makes you uncomfortable, please only read the end of this chapter.

She dreamed of a horribly familiar place that night. Mercy shivered and hugged her arms, looking down the hall that led to Oryll’s room. She heard the sound of someone crying, and, despite the twist of dread in her stomach, she opened the door.

The room was white, and a single mirror hung on the wall. Mercy approached it.

Another figure approached her, and Mercy saw a younger version of herself, naked and shivering. Tears pricked at her eyes as she saw the streams of blood on the young teen’s pale legs, and the bruises on those thin arms.

The child looked up at her, tears streaming down her face. “It’s not fair.” She sobbed.

“No. It isn’t.” Mercy replied, crouching as the child sat down, weeping softly.

The mirror dissolved into smoke, but the reflection remained.

“It hurts.”

“I know it does.” Mercy replied, though her voice broke.

“Will it ever end?” The child asked,

“Yes. I promise.”

“When?”

“Now.” Mercy said, and handed the child her lightsaber.

A thin wail caught her attention. And Mercy turned to find herself in the impeccable halls of a Star Destroyer.

Mercy heard a voice shouting angrily, and turned towards the only door in the hall. She knew the tone well, it promised pain, and made her shiver at her own memories. 

She waved her hand, and the door hissed open.

Inside was a boy, perhaps eight or nine years old, curled on the floor, trying to as best he could to shield himself from the man’s blows.

She knew, even without seeing his face, that this was a young Armitage Hux.

“You can save him.” A voice said, and Mercy looked behind her, seeing the child she had once been, looking at her with solemn gold eyes. “Just like Poe saved us.” There was a pause. “But you’ll need this.” The child added, returning the hilt to Mercy.

Mercy turned back to the abused boy, cowering away from his father.

She ignited the lightsaber, raising her chin as the man turned to face her.

“Do not touch him.” She snarled.

When the man spoke, it was in Oryll’s voice. “Try and stop me.”

Mercy stood her ground. “I already have.” She said, and ran her saber through the man’s chest.

Thick, black smoke poured out of the wound, and the man dissolved into black sand.

Mercy looked over to the boy. He was shaking from fear or pain.

The sight made her heart bleed.

She knelt in front of him, knowing exactly how much pain he was in.

“Come with me.” Mercy said, gently.

“I can’t.” The boy replied. Suddenly he was not a boy anymore, but the man who had been an enemy for so long. He was still hurting and afraid, even now.

“I’ll help you.” Mercy promised.

Her eyes snapped open, and she sat bolt upright.

Stretched across the end of the mattress, Thorn yawned, and raised his head.

Mercy looked out the window, saw the first rays of light breaking over the horizon, and sighed deeply.

She stood, and dressed quickly.

Taking a deep breath, Mercy slowly walked to the mirror, and studied herself. She had come a long way from the battered, broken child she had seen in her dreams.

Had Hux? It was hard for her to say. She knew next to nothing about him. He didn’t seem all that frightened, but people learned to hide it.

Maker knew she had.

In her mind, she heard Oryll’s voice telling her that she had better learn to cry silently.

_ I’ll kill you for what you did to me.  _ She thought furiously, and the image of her lightsaber slashing in a lethal arc across his body eased her anger slightly.

_ ‘There is a darkness in you. _ ’ Maz had told her that once. Mercy knew it, and she embraced it. 

She was what she had to be to survive.

Mercy thought back to the day Poe and found her, dying.

_ He’d carried her and Thorn back to a rebel transport, told her everything was going to be okay. _

_ When the medical team had examined her, she’d fought like a feral animal. _

_ One of the techs had cried.  _ Mercy vividly remembered the tears leaking down the young woman’s face as the droid had administered a sedative.

Poe had been sleeping in a chair next to her cot when she woke up. No one had cared about her for years, and she hadn’t understood why some total stranger did.

_ “Hey kid.” She’d just eyed him warily. He sighed. “What’s your name?”  _

_ At first, she hadn’t answered. He frowned. “Do you speak basic?” _

_ “Yes.” Mercy had replied.  _

_ “Okay. So, can you tell me your name.” _

_ “Myrcerys Stormdream.” _

_ “Myrcerys.” Poe repeated. “Pretty name. Does it mean anything?” _

_ No one had ever asked her that before. She didn’t know if it meant anything. _

It was Poe who had searched the origins of her name, and found it meant  _ “Brightest Star.” _

She smiled at the memory. 

_ “Can I call you Mercy?” He’d asked one day. _

_ She’d immediately liked the nickname, and agreed. _

Then, the day she turned nineteen, Leia had called her outside, and told her to reach out with her mind, and try and lift a rock.

Mercy had been skeptical, but she’d sat down, and started at the rock hard, until it suddenly twitched.

Excited, she’d tried again, this time, the rock hovered over the ground for a moment, before plopping back to the dirt.

Leia had started training her that very day. And then, mere weeks later, Rey had arrived.

They’d become friends quickly, as they both had hot tempers, and firm beliefs.

She was brought back to the present by Thorn nuzzling her legs.

Mercy knelt, rubbing under his jaw.

It hadn’t been an ordinary dream, she knew, the Force had shown her Hux’s childhood and her own for a reason.

And she wanted to help him.

_ He’s not a stray kitten for you to save, Mercy. _ She reminded herself.  _ He doesn’t want your help, even if he does tolerate your presence. _

Well, he would just have to learn to deal with her. And she would have to make difficult choices.

She just hoped she made the right ones.

For a Force-user, she wasn’t awful. 

That was Hux’s current opinion of the annoyingly beautiful Jedi who was currently scaling a tree. He had no idea why she’d dragged him out into the forest to watch her do this, but he was surprised to find that he didn’t really mind.

It wasn’t like he had anything better to do.

He was so wrapped up in his thoughts, that he wasn’t paying attention to what the Jedi was doing, and when he turned around, he found himself face to face with her. Except, she was hanging upside down from a branch, grinning like a maniac.

“What is it with you?” He asked her. She laughed, and swung down from the branch in an elegant flip. “Why aren’t you more… serious?” He asked again. “I thought that was the signature trait of Force-users.”

“Well, we’re not all like Kylo Ren.” She told him, tossing her long braid. “I, for one, am much prettier.”

Hux snorted a bit at her cocky attitude, but nodded in agreement. She certainly was that. It was on the walk back to the pathetic excuse of a base that Mercy’s expression sobered. She turned to face him, and spoke in a soft, almost hesitant tone.

“Did it bother you? After using the Starkiller?” 

“Not really. It was necessary.” Hux told her.

“It wasn’t.” Mercy replied quietly. She wanted to be angry, but all she could see in his eyes was herself. 

She knew without a shadow of doubt, that it could just as easily have been her instead of him, if she’d been raised in the First Order. She shook her head. “Millions of innocent people died.”

For a moment, something close to remorse flashed across Hux’s handsome features. But when he spoke, his tone was flat and cool.

“It was necessary.”

“I’m not here to lay all the blame on you.” She said, and he froze in mid-step. “I blame the entire First Order, I blame Snoke and Palpatine and Kylo Ren, and…” She paused, took a breath. “Your father, Brendol.” 

Hux whirled as she said the name, turning to face the Jedi.

“What does  _ he _ have to do with this?” Hux demanded.

“He forced you into the First Order. You never had a choice.” Myrcerys said, softly.

“You have no idea-” Hux started to spit.

“I do.”

“No. You don’t. Just because you had a rough time doesn’t mean you know how I felt.”

“I do know. Because I saw it.”

“What do you mean, you saw it?”

“In a dream.” She said, calm and cool.

“It was none of your business.”

“I don’t get to choose what the Force shows me.” 

“Forget what you saw, it’s not your concern.”

“Actually, it is. You’re my responsibility. I’m offering you a second chance here, Hux.” She started to walk past him.

“Take your time, but choose carefully Hux, there won’t be a third chance.” With that, she disappeared into the trees.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, so I've always kind of imagined that Hux would be very touchy about trusting anyone to help him, hence him being so angry at Mercy for bringing up his past.
> 
> As always, comments are greatly appreciated, and thank you all for reading!


	12. Chapter 12

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, there are some pretty graphic flashbacks in this chapter, as well as Mercy discussing her past. If you do not want to read this, then scroll down past the line of asterisks.

“You think you know everything, don’t you?” Hux called furiously. 

Mercy whipped around, facing him. “No. I don’t think I know everything, but I know pain, and I know misery.” She hissed, advancing a step on him. “And, ‘had it rough’ doesn’t cover it. You think I have no idea how you felt? Maybe that’s true, but  _ you _ cannot imagine how much it hurts.” For the first time, Hux saw a truly terrifying rage in those molten gold eyes.

“I’ve been beaten, whipped, cut.” Mercy snarled. “But nothing,  _ nothing _ ever came close to the rapes. You have  _ no idea _ .” Beside her, the nexu growled.

Hux opened his mouth to answer, but she cut him off.

“You have no idea.” She said, voice dangerously calm “How much it hurts to have someone rip you apart like that. I bit his right ear off, you know. Because I wanted him to _ hurt.  _ To feel some tiny semblance of what I felt almost every fucking night.” She never raised her voice, but Hux almost wished she would. “I wasn’t always rape. In fact, he only raped me fifteen times over the course of four years, but he always hurt me somehow.”

Hux felt sick.  _ Fifteen times.  _ That was what the girl standing before him had endured.

She must have seen the question in his eyes. “Rape is painful. It’s not something I’ll ever forget.” Then, she flipped her shirt up, spinning around, and showing the scars on her back. “The night I tore his ear off, is the night I got these scars.”

Hux’s stomach knotted with dread. “All of them? On the same night?”

“Yes. He usually didn’t use a whip that would break the skin, just leave welts, but that night, he used a whip that they use on fathiers during races. I almost died from blood loss.” 

For a moment, neither spoke. The nexu nuzzled the Jedi’s leg’s, and she petted his head.

“Here, I’ll show you.” She said, and grabbed his wrist. 

In his mind, Hux saw Myrcerys as a small, thin pre-teen. She was battered and bruised, shivering from pain, eyes glazed and distant.

The insides of her bruised thighs were covered in blood.

The image changed, and he saw her, a little older, maybe sixteen, lying on her side in a lake of blood.

Her bare back was torn to shreds.

Then it was as if he was looking through her eyes, focusing on the hilt of the dagger that was stuck in her chest.

Then Mercy let go of him, and the vision ended.

Hux hadn’t been speechless in a long time, but now, his voice deserted him.

“I haven’t forgotten how it felt to be afraid.” Mercy said coolly, and turned away.

“Myrcerys, wait.” Hux managed, his voice sounding oddly hoarse. She glanced over her shoulder at him.

“I’m sorry.” He told her. “I’m sorry for what you went through.”

Some of the anger faded from her eyes. She nodded once, rubbing her fingers through Thorn’s fur.

“Hey! Mercy!” A new voice called. Dameron emerged from the trees. “We’ve found a pocket of First Order loyalists, and Sith cultists on the planet Korriban. I need you on the mission.” 

Mercy didn’t hesitate. “When do we leave?” She asked.

“As soon as we can.” He turned to Hux. “What do you know about this base, Hugs?”

“We used it as a training base for our troops.” Hux replied, seething to himself about the degrading name.

“That’s it?”

“As far as I know. Ren didn’t exactly include me in his decisions.” 

Dameron shrugged. “Whenever you’re ready Mercy. We can’t give them time to move out.”

**********************************************************************************************

Mercy hadn’t expected Hux to come. But, here he was, sitting across the floor from her, keeping to himself.

She was still angry about their argument earlier. A small, petty part of her wanted to scream ‘ _ I suffered more!’ _ But she knew that wasn’t true. 

She’d just suffered in different ways. 

“Hey Mercy.” Finn’s voice broke through the suffocating silence, a welcome relief.

“Finn.” Mercy replied, a smile crossing her lips. From the moment she’d laid eyes on him, she’d had a soft spot for him. 

He was loyal and brave, and she trusted him with her life. He was one of the five living people who knew her full story.

The others were Poe, Rey, and Chewie. Her closest friends.

The fifth was Hux, whom she felt inextricably linked to. 

It wasn’t that she trusted him the way she trusted her friends. It was that she almost felt that he  _ needed _ to know. That it was essential for him to turn back to the light.

She found him attractive. She’d enjoyed the kiss they’d shared.

It had been impulse, spur of the moment. 

But when they’d danced… She’d felt a different kind of trust.

“Ready to kick ass?” Finn asked, jolting her out of her thoughts.

“Hell yes.” Mercy replied, grinning. “I’m always ready to kick ass. It’s what I live for.”

Finn laughed, patting her on the shoulder. “That’s good, because we’re almost there.”

“Alright.” Mercy said, standing up, and following Finn into the cockpit. 

Korriban was desolate. Hux had never liked the planet, it made him uneasy.

If Mercy felt the same way, she did not show it, even if FN-2187, and Dameron seemed as unsettled as Hux felt.

“Finn, Poe, take Hux, see if you can access the facilities archives. I’m going to look around.” Myrcerys said softly. 

“Mercy-”

“I’ll be careful.” Mercy replied, cutting Dameron off. “Trust me.”

The pilot sighed. “You know I do.”

Mercy nodded, and headed off down the dark corridor, leaving the three men in silence.

Despite the climate of the planet, Mercy felt oddly cold. 

She walked down the hall, following a small tug she felt in the Force. 

Upon reaching a set of doors, Mercy was surprised when they swung open for her. The room behind them was unsettlingly still, and dark but for a single ray of light that shone down through a window in the ceiling.

Sensing danger, Mercy whirled around, backing away as a red lightsaber blazed to life, slashing at her torso.

Her own white blade blocked it.

A second red saber ignited, and Mercy found herself staring down two Praetorians.

She didn’t falter, just spun her lightsaber, and took on a defensive stance, waiting for her enemies to make the first move.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alright, comments are always welcome, so please leave one for me!


End file.
